Houston will enter the 2018-19 season without Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute, a pair of elite perimeter defenders who helped power the Rockets to a franchise-best 65 wins last year.

Player

MIN

PTS

REB

AST

Trevor Ariza

33.9

11.7

4.4

1.6

Luc Mbah a Moute

25.6

7.5

3.0

0.9

The Rockets hoped to retain both players but were forced to let them walk after signing Chris Paul to a pricey four-year, $160 contract. Ariza subsequently signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the Suns, and Mbah a Moute rejoined the Clippers on a one-year, $4.3 million deal.

Neither player is Melo’s equal in regards to individual honors, but they both fit perfectly within Houston’s schemes. Ariza and Mbah a Moute didn’t need the ball to be effective, and when they did touch the rock they were remarkably efficient.

Ariza and Mbah a Moute didn’t need the ball to be effective, and when they did touch the rock they were remarkably efficient.

Ariza had an effective field goal percentage of .542 and a three-point percentage of .368, while Mbah a Moute posted a career-high effective field goal percentage of .572 and hit 36% of his three-point attempts. Compare that to Melo, who posted a dismal .476 effective field goal percentage and shot just 35% from beyond the arc.

The Thunder, meanwhile, saw their odds improve after re-signing Paul George to a four-year, $137 million contract. The five-time All-Star averaged 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and two steals per game in his first season in OKC, and meshed well with Russell Westbrook late in the season.

The Rockets and Thunder aren’t the only teams whose fortunes changed. The Lakers’ odds have also come crashing back to Earth following the head-scratching acquisitions of Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee, and Michael Beasley.

The Raptors’ odds have also changed significantly following their blockbuster trade for Kawhi Leonard on July 18th. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year has passed his physical and reportedly had a positive first meeting with new head coach Nick Nurse.

Toronto remains cautiously optimistic that they’ll be able to convince Leonard to resign next summer, but it will be worth checking in this winter as he copes with his first – 40-degree cold snap. There’s nothing like a mild case of frostbite to make you reconsider your free agency options.

All teams are still chasing the Warriors, whose average odds to win the 2018 NBA Championship dropped from -180 to -190 from July 18th to August 8th. That’s the lowest they’ve been since June 9th after winning their third title in four years.

Golden State’s biggest challenge this year could be complacency as they try to remain engaged during the NBA’s notoriously long regular season. The last team to win three straight championships was the Lakers, who did so from 2000-to-2002.

Ryan Murphy began his love affair with sports journalism at the age of nine when he wrote his first article about his little league baseball team. He has since authored his own column for Fox Sports, and now serves as SBD’s resident NBA and MLB expert.

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